New York Yankees shortstop Reid Brignac leaps to elude the slide of Baltimore Orioles baserunner Manny Machado in the seventh inning of last night's game in Baltimore. Photo: Reuters

We learned Sergio Garcia was thin-skinned at the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage when he was in the midst of an endless re-gripping routine that prompted more than a few heckles from the New York gallery. After being vocally abused over constantly adjusting his grip, Garcia gave the fans the middle finger.

Since then, he often sounds immature when he makes excuses for what has kept him from winning at least one major championship and envious when it comes to talking about Tiger Woods, who has won 14. But now Garcia has shown a degree of ignorance and stupidity that will tarnish the rest of his career and perhaps his legacy.

Saying, “We’ll serve him fried chicken,” when asked if he would ever consider having Woods for dinner was dumber than anything Garcia has done on a golf course.

The ridicule he received after putting two balls in the water at the par-3 17th at the Players Championships two weeks ago will seem mild. He was just a choker then. Now he’ll battle the brand of racist. That’s the way it is whether he meant what he said or not, and yes, I believe he meant it. Why else be so specific?

Does it make him a racist? No. Stupid? Without question. It’s a stain.

Garcia can make all the apologies he wants, and I believe they’re as sincere as can be for someone hoping to hold on to a multi-million dollar endorsement deal with TaylorMade-adidas Golf, for whom Sergio is the most notable player.

Watching Garcia fail in big spots such as the 2007 British Open and the 2013 Players has been difficult enough for TaylorMade. But Garcia has been popular, especially in Europe, where the golf market is strong. But now the golf manufacturer has to rethink whether the Spaniard can continue to represent its brand.

It was also a stupid move because the last thing Garcia wanted to do was make Woods a sympathetic figure. Garcia has been on a mission since The Players Championship to let everyone know what a bad guy Woods is and how much he is disliked by fellow Tour pros.

Their mutual dislike was in the spotlight when Garcia accused Woods of deliberately pulling a club out of his bag during their Saturday round causing a reaction from the gallery that prompted the rabbit-eared Garcia to hit an errant shot. A war of words and tweets continued through Tuesday night, when Garcia was asked if he’d ever have Woods over for dinner. “We’ll have him ’round every night,” Garcia responded. “We will serve fried chicken.”

We went through this in 1997 after Woods’ first Masters triumph when Fuzzy Zoeller told reporters “tell [Woods] not to serve fried chicken or collard greens” at the champions dinner the following year. Sixteen years later, you would think such stereotypes are a thing of the past. Apparently not.

We know Woods isn’t a choir boy. Even before the sex scandal, he showed how much he cared about being liked by his peers when he wasn’t among the nearly 40 golfers who paid tribute to the late Payne Stewart by hitting a ceremonial drive into the Pacific Ocean before the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Yet, for a while, the verbal sparring between Garcia and Woods was good theater. Professional athletes not liking each other can add intrigue. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird didn’t like each other until they were past their primes, and don’t expect Carmelo Anthony to invite Kevin Garnett over for dinner anytime soon.

Garcia’s complaints about Woods are silly considering the money Woods has put in everyone’s pocket from the attention and television revenue he has brought to golf. It also compares to when the Jets used to trash talk the Giants, who were too busy polishing their Super Bowl trophies to hear the noise from down below.

Garcia telling the world Woods isn’t universally liked wasn’t news. Still, it made golf interesting for a few days. But of course, Garcia ruined it by choking in the clutch again, choking on his own words.